Efficacy of Fusarium caatingaense and botanical extracts in controlling Dactylopius opuntiae (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae) in the field

In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of Fusarium caatingaense URM 6778 and URM 6779 alone and combined with aqueous extracts of Ricinus communis 5% and Nicotiana tabacum 10% against Dactylopius opuntiae in the field. The effectiveness of the extracts alone was also evaluated. The botanical extracts were subjected to phytochemical screening to identify biologically active chemical compounds. Total mortality data were corrected using the Schneider-Orelli formula. The results were submitted for analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the means were compared using Tukey’s test at 5% probability. The phytochemical screening of R. communis and N. tabacum showed that both extracts contained alkaloids, flavonoid glycosides, saponins, and tannins. According to the confirmed mortality, URM 6779 (61.67%) and URM 6778 + aqueous extract of R. communis at 5% (43.89%) were the best treatments for the control of D. opuntiae in the field. The aqueous extracts of N. tabacum at 10% and R. communis at 5% resulted in mortality rates of 75.14% and 65.32%, respectively, and are also options for controlling this insect. Despite promising results, for the applicability of such agents to be safe, investigations into their toxicity to non-target organisms and their permanence in the environment are necessary.